Italian Chicken

Servings:  6

Prep Time:  5 minutes to crock pot;  30 minutes later

Cook Time:  8 to 10 hours

Katherine's Rating:  10 out of 10

Scott's Rating:  7 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breast; bone in, skin removed (I used 6 boneless, skinless breasts)
• 8 oz Fat Free Italian Dressing (you don't have to use fat free - I'm just trying to cut calories)
• 8 oz Fat Free Cream Cheese (same as above - your choice)
• 14 oz Reduced-sodium Chicken Broth
• 10.5 oz (1 can) 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1/2 tsp Rosemary
• 1/2 tsp Thyme
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 12 oz angel hair pasta

Directions:

• Put the chicken breasts in a slow cooker and pour the Italian salad dressing over them.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.  If you use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cook 5-6 hours instead.
• Remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and discard Italian dressing.  Put the cream cheese, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper in the slow cooker.  Stir together as the ingredients melt.
• Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the bones and cut in small pieces (I just shredded using two forks).  Put the chicken back in the slow cooker with the sauce.  
• Cook together another hour.  Or, you can do this step on the stove to speed it up.  After it has cooked together; allow it to cool.  
• Serve over cooked angel hair pasta.  
• I topped mine with a sprinkle of Tastefully Simple Seasoning Salt and Tastefully Simple Spinach and Herb seasonings.  I also served it with a side of steamed broccoli and a slice of Tastefully Simple Beer Bread!

This can be a bit labor intensive in that you have to do a bit more after it's done in the crock pot.  Deboning can take a while and then shredding isn't necessarily quick.  So I made three batches of this at the same time using two crock pots.  Then I froze them in gallon size freezer bags after they cooled (minus the pasta - I made that fresh).  I pulled one out of the freezer and stuck in the refrigerator overnight.  All I had to do then was make the pasta and heat the chicken.  EASY!  And pretty quick!  One of my all time favorite recipes!

Quick Chicken Divan

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: About 35-45 minutes 

Katherine's Rating: 7 out of 10

Scott's Rating: 7 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 2 (10 oz) pkgs frozen chopped broccoli
• 2 cooked boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place broccoli in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, top with chicken.
• In a bowl, blend soups, mayonnaise, lemon juice - pour over chicken and top with cheese.
• Bake 35-40 minutes until bubbly and browned.

Laughing Cow Chicken

SOURCE: Weight Watchers Message Boards

Servings: 24

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: About 35-45 minutes 

Katherine's Rating: 8 out of 10

Scott's Rating: 7 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 1 lb uncooked boneless chicken breast cutlets
• 8 slices Deli Style Honey Ham (97% fat free)
• 4 wedges Laughing Cow, Light Original
• 1/8 cup dried bread crumbs
• seasoning salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Chicken should be pounded thin.
• Place 2 slices of ham and one wedge on each breast.  Roll and secure with toothpicks.
• Spray a baking dish with PAM and place chicken breast, edge side down on dish.
• Sprinkle with bread crumbs evenly on each chicken breast, then sprinkle with seasoning salt.
• Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake 35 to 45 minutes until juices run clear and evenly browned.

Gina's Baked Chicken Parmesan

SOURCE: Gina's Skinny Recipes (awesome site!)

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes 

Scott's Rating:  8 out of 10

Katie's Rating:  5 out of 10 (she says it was boring)

Katherine's Rating: 8 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 4 (8 oz) chicken breast halves, sliced in half
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I didn't have any so added my own seasonings to plain breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup marinara
• cooking spray

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450.  Spray a large baking sheet lightly with spray.
• Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.  Melt the butter in another bowl.  Lightly brush the butter onto the chicken, then dip into breadcrumb mixture.  Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Lightly spray a little more cooking oil on top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Turn chicken over, bake another 5 minutes.  Remove from oven, spoon sauce over chicken and top with shredded cheese.  Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Club Brunch Ring

SOURCE: Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 10-20 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes 

Scott's Rating: 9 out of 10

Katherine's Rating: 9 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped onion
• 1 3/4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded reduced fat Swiss Cheese, divided
• 2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 2 cups shredded lettuce

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, parsley, mustard, and onion.  Stir in the chicken, bacon and 3/4 cup cheese.
• Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles.  Arrange on an ungreased 12-in. round pizza pan, forming a ring with the pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and wide ends overlapping.
• Spoon chicken mixture over wide ends; fold points over filling and tuck under wide ends (filling will be visible).  Chop half of a tomato; set aside.  Slice the remaining tomatoes; place over filling and tuck into dough.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Let stand for 5 min.  Place lettuce in the center of the ring; sprinkle with chopped tomato.

Tips:

• I bought grape tomatoes instead of plum tomatoes.  I sliced 3 and just slid the slices up under each of the folds.   I chopped up two more and sprinkled them in the middle with the lettuce.

Katherine's Stir Fry

SOURCE: I made this one up myself!

Servings: 1
Prep Time: 5-10 min.
Cook Time: 10-15 min. total
Scott's Rating: NA (he didn't try it)
Katherine's Rating: 9 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
• Nonstick Cooking Spray
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic
• Garlic Powder
  
• Seasoning Salt
  
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  

Directions:

• Steam broccoli until bright green (almost done)
  
• Spray skillet with Nonstick Cooking Spray and cook chicken on medium high heat seasoning with minced garlic. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add green onion and mushrooms. Saute until soft.
  
• Add chicken, broccoli and soy sauce to skillet and stir.
• Season as needed with a little garlic powder and seasoning salt. But be careful of the salt since the soy sauce itself can be quite salty.
  

Serving: 1

MY REVIEW OF THIS RECIPE
This was a fantastic dish. The flavors were great but even better, I could triple this dish and serve it over rice for my family. I have always loved stir fry so am surprised it took me until now to try it! It was relatively simple though I'm not a big fan of cutting up chicken. I may buy the chicken tenderloins next time so I don't have to cut as much.

My only advice on this is to be careful with the salt. Remember, you can always add a little after it's all done but you can't take away!

Roasted Garlic & Sun Dried Tomato Chicken

SOURCE: Time Savor Gourmet

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 30 min.
Scott's Rating: 6 out of 10
Katherine's Rating: 7 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken breasts
• 4 tsp Time Savor Gourmet Roasted Garlic Oil
• 2 T Time Savor Gourmet Tuscan Fantasy Seasoning
• 1/4 cup Sun Dried tomatoes, minced (not in oil)
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in an oven-safe baking dish.
• In a small dish, combine oil, seasoning and tomatoes.
• Drizzle mixture over chicken.
• Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
  

Servings: 4

MY REVIEW OF THIS RECIPE
Well, I liked this recipe but with one complaint. The Tuscan Fantasy Seasoning has a kick! I don't mind a little spice but wow. The flavor was okay but the spices really kind of overwhelmed it. I will make it again sometime soon but will have to use a different spice. I have an Italian seasoning that I love so may try it.

Dijon Chicken & Broccoli

SOURCE: Time Savor Gourmet

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 20 min.
Scott's Rating: 7 out of 10
Katherine's Rating: 7 out of 10 (overall - the broccoli was a 10!!)

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp Time Savor Gourmet Roasted Garlic Oil (can substitute olive oil and fresh roasted garlic)
  
• 6 C broccoli florets, fresh
  
• 1 T Time Savor Gourmet Garlic Gusto Seasoning (complex blend but I figure any garlic seasoning other than salt could be substituted)
  
• 1.5 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 T Low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 T Dijon Mustard
• 1 C Low-sodium chicken broth
  
• Natural Sea Salt and Peppercorns to taste
  

Directions:

• Whisk together soy sauce, mustard and broth in a bowl, set aside.
• In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add broccoli and season with Garlic Gusto. Cook for approx. 1 minute, stirring broccoli to coat it in the oil and seasoning.
  
• Pour broccoli into a bowl and set aside.
• Place the pan back over the heat and add the chicken, browning it on each side for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
• Pour chicken broth mixture over the chicken.
• Add the broccoli and cover the pan.
• Let simmer for 5-7 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked and broccoli is bright green & tender crisp - not overcooked.
  

MY REVIEW OF THIS RECIPE
Okay, well apparently I can't read today. I made a few mistakes on this one but overall, I don't think it mattered a whole lot. I really loved the broccoli in this recipe. The flavor was outstanding. But the chicken was a little bland even after I added the salt and pepper to taste. It wasn't bad at all... just nothing special. Next time I try it, I'm going to cut the chicken into strips first so more surface area will be exposed to the seasonings. Hopefully that'll help. Regardless, I'll make this again because of how much I enjoyed the broccoli!

Picante Chicken

Servings: 2-3
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 20-25 min.
Scott's Rating: 8 out of 10
Katherine's Rating: 9 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. skinless boneless chicken breasts (my pack had 3 pieces)
• 1 jar picante sauce (I used mild)
• seasonings of choice (I used garlic salt & Tastefully Simple Seasoning Salt)
  

Directions:

• Open jar of picante sauce and put into a large saucepan.
• Season chicken with favorite spices.
• Add chicken breasts to picante sauce and bring to a steady boil.
• Boil gently for 15 minutes then turn.
• Continue boiling for another 5-10 min. until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the juices run clear.

Serve with steamed broccoli.

MY REVIEW OF THIS RECIPE
I really liked it! The chicken was very moist and not dried out at all because it cooked in the sauce. Even Scott (who is SOOO picky) liked it! I served it with the steamed broccoli and buttered rice for my family and for myself, I just omitted the rice. This served my entire family of 5! I will definitely be cooking this one again. It was easy and yummy... a winning combination. :)

Kat's Grilled Chicken Salad

Servings: 1
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 20-30 min.
Katherine's Rating: 9 out of 10

Ingredients:

• 7.5 oz. skinless, boneless chicken (should cook down to about 6 oz.)
• Favorite spices - I use Tastefully Simple Seasoning Salt and Tastefully Simple Italian Seasoning
• nonstick spray such as Pam
• 2 cups lettuce
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumbers
• 2 Tbsp. Salad Dressing of your choice

Directions:

• Cut the chicken into strips or bite size pieces.
• Lightly spray cooking dish with nonstick spray.
• Place chicken in dish and spray lightly with nonstick spray.
• Sprinkle seasonings over chicken.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven until done (about 25 minutes).
• After the chicken has been cooked, assemble your salad using the lettuce and cucumbers.
• Top salad with chicken.
• Serve with dressing on the side.

MY RECIPE REVIEW
I love to make my chicken this way. It's great for salads but it's also great in any other dish! For non lean & green meals, you can use this chicken for burritos, tacos, sandwiches, etc.